Hi, my name is Bonnie and I’m a Trixieholic. I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan (mumble, mumble) years ago and spent most of my growing up years in either Michigan or Ohio. I don’t remember exactly when or how Trixie Belden books came into my life, but I know I had all the ones that were published (through 35) and loved them.
Growing up, I didn’t know anybody who read Trixie until I entered the 6th grade. That was my first year at a new school. It was a much bigger school and I was separated from a lot of my close friends, after having spent 1st through 5th grades in a small “one class per grade” school. So when I saw Patti reading her Trixie book in class, it didn’t take much for us to become friends. She had short, blonde hair and three brothers (just like Trixie). I had longer, dark blonde hair and a red-headed brother (like Honey). We even had a third friend we used as Di, though she was nothing like her in looks or character…we made do <g>. Sadly, I don’t even remember her name.
When I “outgrew” my Trixie books (little did I know!) I handed my collection down to my younger sister (who also never knew any other Trixie readers). The final four books were published after that point, and I bought them for Jill, and also read them myself. But eventually, sadly, Trixie and her adventures faded out of my life.
Flash forward a couple of decades. Now living in Lexington, Kentucky, my friend Judy and I often visited the children’s section at our favorite bookstore to reminisce. I had told her often about my fondness for Trixie, when to my surprise one day I saw them on the shelf at Joseph-Beth! I immediately started buying this “retro” edition from Random House.
Out of curiosity (and probably a slow day at work), I googled “Trixie Belden” and discovered Zap’s Clubhouse message board…and scads of other Trixie friends, most of them grown-up women like me, remembering their childhood friend. I scoured Ebay to finish my collection. The first one that came to me was Mystery on the Mississippi, and having that cream oval in my hands again was like flashing back to my childhood. I eventually finished my collection (yay!), including the two Mystery Quiz books (yay!).
I have also had the very great pleasure of spending time with my Trixie friends from all over the U.S…and Australia and Canada too! I’ve been to Gatlinburg, Tennesse; Canaan Valley, West Virginia; and Chicago, Illinois for informal gatherings, and in August of 2007 attended my first Trixie Camp in Niagara Falls. What a total blast it was!
In June of 2007, I embarked on my Trixie Belden fanfiction adventure. I quickly penned Chapters 1 - 10 in my Roads Not Taken universe and when I realized this “story” was quickly taking on a life of its own and moving towards epic proportions, I joined the Jixemitri community as well, with the goal of becoming a Jix Author (January 5, 2008 is my new Jixaversary!). This story is on-going and looks to be for quite some time now as ideas race around in my already frazzled brain, begging to be set free! I hope you find something here you enjoy!